Basketball star LeBron James has made history by becoming the first player in NBA history to score 50,000 career points.
The Los Angeles Lakers forward reached the milestone on Tuesday during a game against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Crypto.com Arena.
James, 40, went into the game with 49,999 combined regular-season and postseason points after scoring 17 points in Sunday’s win against the Los Angeles Clippers. It didn’t take long for him to break the barrier, sinking a 25-foot three-pointer off a pass from Luka Doncic to bring his total to 50,002 points.
The crowd erupted in loud cheers as James achieved the historic feat, further extending his record as the NBA’s all-time top scorer.
In 2023, James had already surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s regular-season record of 38,387 points, a record that stood for 39 years.
With this latest achievement, James is now nearly 6,000 points ahead of Abdul-Jabbar’s total career points of 44,149. Karl Malone ranks third with 41,689 points, while the late Kobe Bryant is fourth with 39,283 points. Michael Jordan sits in fifth place with 38,279 points.
Among current NBA players, only Kevin Durant has made the top 10, with just over 35,000 points — about 15,000 points behind James.
Speaking after the game, James expressed his excitement, saying, “It’s an incredible feeling. I never thought as a kid playing basketball that I would reach this point. It’s truly a blessing.”
Fans and fellow players have taken to social media to celebrate James’ record. One fan wrote, “LeBron is a legend. 50,000 points! This record might stand forever.”
